Successful percutaneous coronary intervention for acute and chronic occlusion of the left main coronary artery: report of two cases and review of the literature.

Total occlusion of the left main coronary artery (LMCA) is a rare but clinically serious event due to its poor prognosis. While coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is currently recommended for treatment of these patients, recent studies support the feasibility of treatment by percutaneous intervention (PCI). Here, we report the diagnoses and treatment of two cases of total occlusion of the LMCA. One patient presented with acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock resulting from acute occlusion of the LMCA, and the other patient presented with unstable angina pectoris resulting from chronic occlusion of the LMCA. Both cases were successfully treated with PCI. Our results in these cases suggest that PCI may be a safe and effective alternative to CABG for treatment of LMCA occlusion.